Sailor dies on Volvo Ocean Race

By IBI Magazine

Hans Horrevoets, a Dutch crew member aboard ABN AMRO TWO, one of the two ABN AMRO yachts competing in the Volvo Ocean Race, died on Thursday after being swept overboard from the boat.

According to the race's official website, ABN AMRO TWO was sailing in 5m (16ft) seas and 30kt winds about 1,300 miles from Land's End, England when Horrevoets was washed overboard at 0211GMT. The crew of ABN AMRO TWO immediately turned the boat around, took the sails down and mounted a search and rescue effort. Horrevoets was located and lifted back on board.

More info at:
http://www.ibinews.com/ibinews/newsdesk/20060419150904ibinews.html

 

Very sad! Not the time to make comments about racing etc so I won't That time will come. Now is the time to mourne a fellow sailor who died doing what he liked best.

I grieve especially for his close family (all sailors are his family!)- they will have to live with it for a long time after the world has forgotten.

 

Of course, but I should say that I was crossing my fingers hoping that this would not happen. I believe that this is not an unpredictable accident.
Given the conditions that they had to endure this was expected.

See this video and the title they have given it:

...".trimmer onboard ABN AMRO ONE literally holds on for his life"
http://www.volvooceanrace.org/mediaplayer/index.aspx?guid=8849aabd-e9bb-40b0-8f82-308e4e9bd910

As you can see, the sea condition is not really bad. The problem is the speed of the boat and the way the boat "works" the waves. These boats are conceived to pierce through the waves, washing in the process the deck with tons of rushing water.

Imagine that, at night, while you are trimming the spinnaker....This is madness. It is madness now as it was one month ago.

And I don't believe that Hans was not clipped to the boat while working at night in these conditions. I believe that the attached point broke when the line snapped. And if it is the case, that would be unforgivable.

Safety in these boats sucks.

Sorry about the rant, but I am really pissed.

 

If you want to express your condolences and your fellings to Hans family, you can post them here:

http://team.abnamro.com/web/show/id=102854

 

As they say, when the time come, the time come...... salute

 

Vega

Whilst I agree that this was not a safe system of work, now is not the time for recriminations - all that comes later, now is the time to grieve!

Later when the weeping and wailing is over the race committee (curse on them for sending men to their deaths - not just this committee but ALL race committees - it's the nature of the beast!) will look into the happening and it might just find a way of preventing it happening again (no I don't bloody well believe it either but as I said now is not the time!)

 

Fund for family

SA has set up a fund for Hans' family; see the front page for how and where to donate:
Sailing Anarchy Home Page
Address:http://www.sailinganarchy.com/ Changed:10:20 PM on Friday, May 19, 2006

 

Well, I have heard some news about this fatal accident…and it is not the same story.

The first version was like this:

“The 2006 Volvo Ocean Race, marked by brutal weather throughout the global ocean race, was struck by tragedy last week. Dutch sailor Hans Horrevoets of the ABN AMRO team was washed overboard Thursday while his boat sailed through an enormous storm en route to Portsmouth, England”.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5426116

Now I have heard a completely different story:

“The ABN2 was sailing in calm seas with only 15 knots of wind on the stern.

Around 2 a.m., conditions started to change, the wind rose quickly to 25, 30 knots and the waves became 3M high and increasing.

The skipper gave orders to the crew to put on the harnesses and life jackets. They have started to go below, each one at a time to put them. The next one would be Hans. Hans was at the forward part of the deck, trying to better the spinnaker, trying to gain some extra speed.”

Sorry about the bad translation, from a Portuguese magazine.

If it is like that, I was wrong, and it has nothing to do with the boat…but it is worse, because it has to do with the skipper.

How could he have permitted Hans to be in the forward part of the deck, at night, with 30 knots of wind and more than 3M waves, without a harness and a lifejacket, in a boat that probably was doing around 30knots?

It is even worse, because Hans was not performing some vital maneuver indispensable for the boat security, only trying to better the spinnaker regulation to go a little bit faster.

Does anybody know something about this?

 

http://team.abnamro.com/web/show/id=73697/contentid=3823
According to the team's own reports, it seems that the weather began to pick up, and so the crew took turns going below to don safety gear. (Somehow I thought they wore this all the time?) Hans was reportedly not yet wearing his harness and when the boat nose-dived into a wave, he was washed overboard

 

It a pity to wash like that..... safety equipment need to be worn during the nite.... me think

 

Why wasnt it? I thought it was a rule to wear it. Open any boating mag. and they insist sailors don thier safety equipment at night no matter the weather. I know, hindsight, but on a boat that fast I'd like to think I'd wear mine all the time.
Truely sad, but if it helps to save anothers life then it wasnt in vain.

Sorry Marshmat, I didnt mean to rehash..

 

Before we all attack the skipper / crew etc etc, we should all remember that racing around the world as fast as possible is dangerous and there is a good chance that you will loose your life. It is always easy to look back and criticise but unless you were there at the time then you can not say what should have / should not have been done. As long as we all learn from these accidents then he has not died in vain.

 

Remember the old saying "practice of good seamanship....." Obviously NOT wearing harness etc was not good practice considering the job in hand so question - was it in the rules? (wearing harness etc) IF NOT WHY NOT!

Was the Master (skippers come on fishing boats) carrying out his duty of care towards his crew? Obviously not - he lost one! No matter what the crewman did the master was partly responsible, poor supervision, comes with the job!

What to do - pretty obvious really - tighten the rules and remind those in charge of their responsibilities! And severly punish any breaches - no matter the outcome!

Strong words but that's the way it is and must be! ...... or kill a few more.....

 

They were all kids, and Hans was the oldest guy and the one that had recruited half of the crew. I guess that the Master (here is Patrão) was not at ease giving him orders about safety.
In my boat sometimes I have to be disagreeable with friends regarding security issues (sometimes that's the only way people understand that I am really serious about it). People tend to take it easy, but the sea is unforgivable and as you have said, in the end all the responsibility falls on the master.

 

Vega

Yes old friend it ain't easy but if you sail with friends (or family etc) they have to realise that at times the Patron, Master, Patrao or whatever IS in charge and HAS to be - if they don't agree then for everybodies safety you can't take them! Damn hard decission!!